From
the 7th century AD a new tradition of Buddhism began to
develop that was in several important respects radically
different from the earlier traditions. Called Tantrayana,
the Vehicle of the Text, this tradition is also known
as Mantrayana, the Vehicle of Spells, or the Vajrayana,
the Adamantine Vehicle. Tantrayana is characterised by
an emphasis on the value of magic and the propitiation
of the bodhisattvas and gods in the quest for Nirvana.
It has also developed a rich and complex variety of meditation
techniques. Tantrayana developed in Bengal and Orissa
and flourished during the period of Buddhism's decline
in India. (8th to 13th century AD). It had a significant
following in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand where it was
later replaced by Theravada. In Indonesia
it was replaced by Islam and in both China and Japan it
became moribund. It spread from India to Tibet from the 8th century onward, flourishing and
developing there until its destruction in the 1950s. Today
Tantrayana thrives amongst Tibetan refugees in India and
has become perhaps the most successful Buddhist tradition
in the West.